Ex-attorney general considers another run

May 21, 2005|By Linda Kleindienst, Tallahassee Bureau

TALLAHASSEE -- Bob Butterworth may be considering a comeback in state politics.

Nearly three years after leaving his job as attorney general, the former Broward County sheriff said he has been getting calls from Democrats across the state asking him to run for governor or a Cabinet post.

"I'm not doing any fishing," said Butterworth, who is now dean of the St. Thomas Law School in Miami. "I have the feeling I might be the fish."

Butterworth, 62, who as Florida attorney general gained the national reputation of a consumer advocate by taking on cigarette companies, television psychic Miss Cleo, Major League Baseball and others, said he has made some of his own calls to seek advice but has made no decisions.

"I appreciate people asking, but I'm not sure," he said.

Some Democrats think the longtime political powerhouse, with his statewide reputation and South Florida base, could help re-energize the party in the 2006 election. And they think he is likely eyeing his old Cabinet post of attorney general.

"He was highly successful and highly regarded," said state Sen. Skip Campbell, D-Fort Lauderdale. "He has $10 million in name recognition alone."

Campbell said he would drop his own bid for attorney general should Butterworth decide to run for it.

"The impression I got was that he really, really wants to get back in public service," Campbell said. "I don't need the job for fame or fortune. I think Bob would have an easier time getting elected."

Term limits forced Butterworth out of his Cabinet job in 2002. But instead of retiring, he made a surprise last-minute entry into the race for a Republican-leaning Senate district that covered northeast Broward County and much of coastal Palm Beach County. He suffered a stunning upset -- his first in 30 years of elections -- to Republican Jeff Atwater of North Palm Beach.

Butterworth, a former judge and head of the Florida Department of Highway Safety, said one of his main reasons for getting back into politics would be to help balance state government politically.

"We've become too polarized," he said. "Having a state controlled by one party, I don't think it's right. We need people from both parties . . . you get a better balance, and people feel they are part of the system."

Republicans now control the Governor's Mansion and the three state Cabinet posts -- agriculture commissioner, attorney general and chief financial officer -- plus hold a strong majority in the Legislature and Florida's congressional delegation.

The attorney general's post will be open because incumbent Charlie Crist is running in the Republican primary for governor. Among those running for the Cabinet job on the Republican side are House Budget Chairman Joe Negron of Stuart, Sen. Burt Saunders of Naples and former Pinellas Sheriff Everett Rice.